Category Archives: Uncategorized

What is that you say? Well this image has been circulating on the internet and I could not resist sharing the laugh with you. Yes, this is a care label on an article of clothing attached at the waist band. Before you wash the child’s clothes you must first remove them from the child.

Check out the link https://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall to view the new wall mounted battery that allows you to power your whole home from solar power. For all you off grid types this is certainly worth looking into. It is small, mounts on the wall so it is out of the way of your daily activities, and did I say power your own house.

Yes that is right, chocolate. Oh chocolate how I love thee. Let me count the ways. I love you wrapped in foil, or simply filled with caramel and nuts. Speaking of caramel and nuts, for all of you everywhere there is a Snickers. Well at least that is my take on their latest ad campaign.

Yes that is right there is a perfect man, loopy, forgetful, drama mama, and irritable chocolate available for all the chocolate lovers on Valentines day. Yes, these may be found at your local department store or pharmacy.

Peabody is a suburb of Boston. It is on the north shore. It borders Danvers and Salem. It is 100% urban and is just off interstate 95 near the junction of route 1. Did I say it is urban and not rural? The thought of finding these lovely statues of a rooster and a bull was like finding a gem in the middle of an urban jungle. I just had to share them with you.

Yes you heard right, classic goes to fruit and fungi. The classics like Van Gogh’s works are now appearing on fruit. Take a stroll through downtown Livingston, NJ and see for yourself.

Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” on a banana.

Van Gogh was thought to have gotten his inspiration from a bible verse in Genesis. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”Genesis 37:9.”

Picasso on a pear.

Pablo Picasso’s “Tete d’une Femme Lisant” (Head of a Woman Reading), 1953. This one is in a fitting place, across the street from the Livingston library.

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” appearing on a mushroom.

Edvard Munch’s diary reports this about the paining. “I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous infinite scream of nature.”

I have been told twice in the same day that the dog I adopted looks like the dog from the movie “Lady and the Tramp.” The tramp in the movie is a miniature schnauzer. I guess I will take advantage of that when sharing his photos. My little tramp is called Mortimer or just plain Morty. When I think of Morty, I think of a little old man. One person told me a story of Morty the deli man from his childhood that used to pass out pickles to the children when they came in to get sandwiches with their families. So I asked if Morty if he wanted to pass out pickles. He just looked at me like I had three heads. I guess he is right, it might take three heads to process that comment.

Morty is approximately 8 years old. It is a best guess. He came into rescue in dire need of help. He was one of the lucky ones that were found in time and helped by a local rescue group, Second Chance Rescue.

This is what Morty looked like when he first arrived at Second Chance Rescue.

Morty upon arrival at Second Chance Rescue 1.Morty upon arrival at Second Chance Rescue 2.Morty upon arrival at Second Chance Rescue 3.Morty upon arrival at Second Chance Rescue 4.Morty shortly after his arrival at my house. He is snoring on the couch.Morty shortly after his arrival at my house. He is taking in the place and getting his bearings.Morty on a walk around the grounds.On our way to the dog park.What is that I see?The dog park.Sights at the dog park.Statue at the dog park.Art at the dog park.Meeting new friends at the dog park.My fur is getting softer and I’m getting a belly.

Morty has had to get neutered at eight years old. As he had an enlarged prostate. That condition has now resolved. He had to get a bath and had his fur shaved due to the severe matting. The matting was so bad that he had a problem defecating. He also required extensive extraction of his teeth due to their rotten condition.

Surprisingly he has a sweet and calm temperament. He barks initially when meeting someone, when he is on a leash and then calms down. I looked up his breed information and found this to be typical of the breed. He comes when called and loves to walk right next to me. He is a dream to walk on a leash. His lack of teeth has not slowed down his ability to eat. Of course it may be the home cooking he is getting. That is just a shameless plug for myself. He has to wear a wrap until his marking inside the house subsides. But he doesn’t seem to care. He is living the a life of comfort.

So you want your own little Mortimer or Morticia? Maybe you can not have one but can give a donation.

As a child I was always drawn to the ever changing drama of the sky. I qould find myself staring at it for long periods of time. In fact it became somewhat of a joke to my classmates in elementary school. It seemed as though I was the only one that was fascinated by the show that mother nature put out on a daily basis. It was of no consequence since I was determined to enjoy what I liked. I believe the enjoyment will always continue.

The fluffy clouds that are fun to see shapes and how they move.Do you see the lobster claw in this one?They can make even a city look better.Dense cloud layer.

The cloud layer provides a background that is good enough to allow the Goethals Bridge to be seen on the horizon.

There was a plane flying over head not long ago.The clouds make the parking lot look better.You can see the sum peeking out from behind the trees ans clouds.I see an eagle in this one.Can you tell what time of day it was in this photo?Morning over the parking lot…Autumn sky as we prepare for halloween.Autumn sky with the dark contrasting leaves of the tree.What is left of the sun for the day as the sky darkens.Does this look foreboding to you?Dense clouds with little sun..The dense clouds make the roadway look better.This would be the perfect sky for all hallows eve.Let there be light in the gloom.Sunset with purple and blue dominating the sky.

The Stickley Museum is in Morris Plains,NJ. There website link is www.stickleymuseum.org. I had a wonderful day of drawing at the museum. We first visited the gift shop that is conveniently situated so you have to pass through it at the start and end of your tour. There are some exhibits that I have visited elsewhere that could learn that retail lesson. The is situated on 30 acres and is a national historic landmark.

The main building.

When I visit places I just want to see something that captivates me. This site did just that. Although it was a dreary day, weather wise, the rain held out long enough for me to capture the landscape in pictures and some rough sketches.

A view of the main building from the side.

What the squirrel left.More of what the squirrel left.A couple of out buildings.

The main building at the Stickley Museum houses the museum and the gift shop. It is from this view that I chose to do most of my drawings. If the weather was better there would have been time to do several landscape sketches.

Yes this is yet another place in Jersey. It is the trend coffee house. Here you can get a select choice of sandwiches, some pastry, soft serve ice cream, and of course coffee tea. The atmosphere is laid back. There are plenty of arm chairs and tables to pull up and relax. Yes there are bands that play on a weekly basis in the corner of the room they refer to as the Trend Stage.

The Trend Stage

One of the largest mirrors that I have ever seen marks the path to the rest room.

The entrance to the rest room.One of the smallest mirrors.

One of the smallest mirrors that I have ever seen is located in the rest room. I guess they don’t want you to hang out and make yourself beautiful in the rest room at the Trend Coffee House.